In an effort to assist the public transport industry players in coping with the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO), the Ministry of Transport has announced an automatic one-year extension of vehicle age limit.
According to a report published by The Star, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said that the decision to grant this extension was made with the understanding that many drivers and operators would face great difficulty in replacing their vehicles during this challenging time.
Automatic extension
He said that the ministry will grant an automatic extension of one year to public transport vehicles that have or will reach their maximum vehicle age limit as stipulated in their respective permits or licences, including those that had been granted a prior extension in 2020.
“Any public service vehicle that has or will reach its respective permitted age limit between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2021 will be granted an automatic one-year extension for the vehicle’s licensing purposes,” he said.
Must pass Puspakom inspection
“However, this extension is only for vehicles that have undergone and passed the Puspakom vehicle inspection process to ensure their road-worthiness and safe operation,” he said yesterday.
It is said that all classes of public service vehicles under the purview of the Land Public Transport Agency and the respective Commercial Vehicle Licensing boards of Sabah and Sarawak were eligible for this extension.
The announcement was made following the outcome from consultations between the ministry and the industry’s representatives and associations, added Dr Wee.
Approved by the key players
The associations that were involved in consultations with the ministry include the Federation of School Bus Associations Malaysia, Pan Malaysia Bus Operators Association, Persatuan Pengusaha Bas Persiaran Semenanjung Malaysia, and Gabungan Teksi Semenanjung Malaysia, Koperasi, among others.
“The ministry remains committed to the feedback from transport industry players affected by the pandemic as public transport remains an essential transport for many,” said Dr Wee.
“We hope that this automatic extension of the vehicle age limit for one year will bring some relief to the industry as companies focus on recovering to become competitive again to serve the public,” he said.
